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| Scotland
Travel - International |
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| AIR |
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International
airports
Scotland’s main international airports are Edinburgh
and Glasgow.
Edinburgh (EDI)
Edinburgh
Airport Information
Glasgow (GLA)
Glasgow
Airport Information
Other
airports
Aberdeen (ABZ)
Located 11km (7 miles) northwest of the city centre.
Airport
information: tel: (01224) 722 331.
Facilities: These include bureau de change, tax-free shopping,
restaurants and bars, left luggage, parent and baby room,
facilities for the disabled and two airport hotels.
Train: Aberdeen and Inverness trains stop at Dyce station
which is a short taxi ride from the airport.
Bus: There are frequent bus services from the city centre
to the airport. For details, contact First Aberdeen (tel:
(01224) 650 065).
Coach: Stagecoach Bluebird services also run to the airport
(tel: (01224) 212 266).
Taxi: Available from the airport (travel time to city
centre – 20 minutes). Car hire: Avis, Budget, Europcar
and Hertz all have desks at the airport.
Private car: Signs for the airport should be followed
from the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road.
Inverness
(INV)
The major airport serving the Highlands, with transfer connections
available to airports in the north of Scotland.
There are several smaller airports in the north of Scotland
which are served by flights from Glasgow and, in some cases,
from Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh as well. These include
Barra, Benbecula, Kirkwall (Orkney), Lerwick (Shetland), Stornoway
and Tiree. For further information, contact Glasgow Airport
(see above). |
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| SEA |
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Ferry services
operate between the mainland and all the Scottish islands
but some of these may be infrequent.
Caledonian
MacBrayne operates the largest network of ferries on the
river Clyde and west coast, serving many islands including
the Inner and Outer Hebrides. During the summer, services
often operate hourly or half-hourly but in the winter they
are less frequent. For details of fares, routes and timetables,
contact Caledonian MacBrayne (tel: (01475) 650 100 (enquiries)
or (08705) 650 000 (reservations); fax: (01475) 637 607).
Northlink
Ferries (tel: (01856) 885 500 (enquiries) or (0845) 600
0449 (reservations); fax: (01856) 851 155) operates services
to the Orkneys and Shetlands; from Aberdeen to Lerwick daily,
more often in summer (travel time – 12 hours); and from
Scrabster to Stromness daily, more often in summer (travel
time – 90 minutes).
Other routes include P&O Irish Sea ferry service between
Cairnryan and Larne up to 12 times a day (travel time –
1 hour 45 minutes; tel: (0870) 242 4777); and Stena
Line’s service between Stranraer and Belfast eight
times a day (travel time – 1 hour 45 minutes; tel: (02890)
747 747; fax: (02890) 884 031). The Seacat
(tel: (01624) 661 661 (UK only) operates between Troon and
Belfast Harbour two to three times a day (travel time –
2 hours 30 minutes). P&O Irish Sea and Stena Line offer
jet boat services from Stanraer to Belfast (travel time -
approximately 1 hour). |
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| RAIL |
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There are two
main-line routes into Scotland from England: from London Euston
up the west coast to Glasgow Central and beyond to Perth and
Inverness; and from London King’s Cross up the east
coast to Edinburgh and beyond to Dundee and Aberdeen. For
details, contact National
Rail Enquiries (tel: (08457) 484 950 (UK only).
Particularly in the Edinburgh–Glasgow area, there are
good services connecting all the main towns. Many of the routes
which pass through the Highlands (such as: Perth-Inverness;
Inverness-Kyle of Lochalsh; Glasgow-Fort William-Mallaig)
are very spectacular. The network extends right up to Thurso
and Wick in the extreme north of the country. Sleeper services
are available on Scotrail’s Caledonian Sleeper (which
connects London Euston, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness
and Fort William nightly; tel: (08457) 550 033). |
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| ROAD |
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Scotland is connected
to the main UK road network by good trunk roads, and has several
internal motorways. Main access from England is via the M74
(Carlisle to Glasgow), the A696/A68 (Newcastle to Edinburgh
via the Cheviots) and the A1 (Newcastle to Edinburgh via the
coast). The main motorways within Scotland connect Edinburgh
with Glasgow (M8), Edinburgh with Stirling (M9), and the Forth
Bridge, near Edinburgh, with Perth (M90). In general, the
internal trunk road network is better and more direct on the
east coast, and roads north of Inverness tend to be slower
and often single track. Snow is common in winter, especially
in the Highlands, and motorists are advised to follow local
advice concerning weather conditions. The main cross-country
road, the A9, connects Perth with Inverness and Thurso. Car
hire: Self-drive cars are widely available in the major
centres.
Distances
From London: Edinburgh 663km (412 miles), Glasgow 654km (406
miles), Aberdeen 884km (549 miles), Inverness 923km (573 miles),
Fort William 828km (514 miles), Perth 696km (433 miles) and
Thurso 1066km (663 miles). From Edinburgh: Glasgow 72km (45
miles), Aberdeen 211km (131 miles), Inverness 261km (162 miles),
Fort William 231km (138 miles), Perth 69km (43 miles) and
Thurso 439km (273 miles). |
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| URBAN |
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| All the major towns
and cities have bus services. Glasgow also has an underground
and a suburban train network. |
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| Useful
travel links |
| Hot
Spots |
air security
international daily reports |
| IATA |
international air transport
association |
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